Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls: A Call to Action for Educational Equity

A report released by National Women’s Law Center and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund outlines the discipline disparities for African-American girls and notes that pervasive racial and gender biases in education often prevent students from succeeding. The report shines a spotlight on the barriers that restrict and limit the educational opportunities of many African American girls, the impact of those barriers on the lives of African American girls and women, and the available interventions that present opportunities to fundamentally improve life outcomes for young African American women. The result of a multi-year study, the report urges educators, school leaders, community leaders and members, advocates, policymakers, and philanthropic organizations to take action to advance the success of African American girls, complementing the important ongoing work to improve educational outcomes for boys and men of color. With support from The Atlantic Philanthropies, Edward W. Hazen Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Schott Foundation for Public Education, and others, the report, Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls: A Call to Action for Educational Equity, examines available interventions that present opportunities to fundamentally improve life outcomes for young African-American women.